


The Book of Katooni

by sjyn29



Series: The Lost Jedi [1]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Coruscant Underworld (Star Wars), Gen, Jedi Younglings (Star Wars), Order 66 (Star Wars), Order 66 Aftermath (Star Wars), Planet Florrum (Star Wars), Planet Weik (Star Wars), Post-Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:00:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29057838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sjyn29/pseuds/sjyn29
Summary: The end of the Jedi order!The fallen Jedi Anakin Skywalker, accompanied by a massive army of clones, marches on the Jedi temple of Coruscant. With the deadly Order 66 issued by the newly self-proclaimed Emperor Palpatine, the Jedi order is quickly toppled, and all but the luckiest Jedi are murdered by the very clones they once fought alongside.With the temple under siege, some Jedi manage daring escapes from the temple. Whether or not they will survive the ruthless imperial army, savage bounty hunters, and countless other dangers of the galaxy remains to be seen, but at least, for the moment, they have their lives…
Series: The Lost Jedi [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2131854
Kudos: 5





	1. The Temple

Katooni opened her eyes. Her small room inside the Jedi temple, essentially a metal box, was unlit, and only the lights from the city coming through the tiny square window provided contrast to her view from moments earlier. Her meditation had been unsuccessful, in her opinion; she was too excited thinking about the upcoming week to concentrate. Soon, she thought to herself, she’d be assigned to a Jedi master as a padawan. Rising up from the small patterned rug on the floor, she walked over to the singular window, her mind racing with thoughts of what was out there in The Galaxy waiting for her.  
She had heard rumors that soon The Clone Wars would be over. What would her purpose as a Jedi be then, she wondered, if not to serve in the Grand Army of the Republic? It occurred to her, at this moment, that she had little knowledge of what the Jedi of old actually did. Katooni walked over to her window. It wasn’t that long ago that she’d found her crystal in the caves on Ilum, and her very limited view of the stars above Coruscant reignited a familiar feeling, that of insignificance. Her mind raced now with harsher thoughts: what if the council didn’t feel that she was ready? What if no master wanted to take her on? What if the Jedi were no longer important now that the war was ending?  
She closed her eyes and shook her head in an attempt to dismiss these thoughts. With a sigh, she resigned herself to seek answers to at least one of her questions. Lightsaber in hand, she rushed out the door towards the archives. Surely, she thought to herself, there must be records of Jedi adventures spanning back thousands of years. It would provide her with purpose, and inspiration, she was sure.  
The massive stone halls of the temple were mostly empty at this point in the evening, save the occasional droid or clone making the rounds. Small trapezoidal droids scurried up and down the hallways, cleaning dirt and beeping excitedly to one another as the youngling walked past. Protocol droids awkwardly shuffled past, nodding to Katooni who returned the favor. At some point, a pair of clones with red painted arm plates marched past her, barely acknowledging her presence.  
The architecture of the temple had always amazed Katooni; the massive sandstone columns and vaulted ceilings were relatively boring compared to the ornate carvings in the floor beneath her feet. Ancient stories of Jedi long since past played out as she made her way down the western wing’s hallway towards the entryway. She slowed her pace, taking in the artwork of a Jedi that looked particularly like her with a name Katooni did not know. The unknown Jedi’s tendrils flailed as she swung her lightsaber at some rather nasty looking beasts, fangs barred at their assailant. The artwork depicted such a well poised and capable Jedi, Katooni thought as she came across the end of the stone story. The youngling paused to take in the final image: the unnamed Jedi stood proudly, lightsaber pointed to the heavens, represented in this slab by the familiar Jedi emblem, and beasts slain, dead at her feet.  
Katooni had arrived at the main hallway. To her right was the entrance to the temple, facing out towards the setting sun. It was a familiar view, one she had always loved to take in when the chance presented itself, although usually she stood on the walkway far above the entrance, and usually her friends were with her. The entryway was unusually empty, and on this evening it stirred up an uneasy feeling in Katooni. There were no droids in sight, no Jedi masters hurting from one wing to another, no doubt responding to yet another Seperatist attack. There weren’t even any clones standing guard at the temple’s entryway, at least that she could see. She paused for a moment and closed her eyes in an effort to clear her mind.  
Master Yoda’s words echoed in her head, “Trust in your feelings, young padawan.” Katooni furrowed her brow. Maybe, she thought the wise Master’s advice was more along the lines of  
“Trust not in your feelings, young padawan.”  
She felt a little silly that she couldn’t recall what the correct saying was, even after all those lessons in the temple’s courtyard. The small but infinitely wise master had a peculiar way of speaking and often taught using abstract ideas rather than concrete lessons. She opened her eyes and continued over to the east wing’s hallway which would lead directly to the archive entrance. The sun was setting lower and lower under the horizon.  
A silver protocol droid, T7-3PO, was making its way out of the archive’s doors just as Katooni arrived. Like the other protocol droids, this one nodded to Katooni as it passed, it’s artificially yellow eyes forever staring through her.  
“T7?” She suddenly asked. The droid stopped its awkward shuffle and turned towards her.  
“Yes, youngling Katooni?” It replied. Katooni always found the voice of protocol droids to be unsettling, as if they were attempting to display emotion but always failing because they lacked the capability.  
“Where are all the clones that are usually here?” Katooni asked.  
“The temple battalion has been summoned away from the temple for a special assignment with Master Skywalker, at the request of the Supreme Chancellor.” The uneasy feeling returned to Katooni, stronger this time than it had been in the entryway. She looked back up at the droid, staring into the lifeless yellow eyes.  
“What’s the assignment?” she asked curiously.  
“I am afraid I cannot say, youngling Katooni.” The protocol droids always had a strange way of moving their hands while they talked, and it only added to the uncanny feeling Katooni experienced when interacting with one.  
“That information is not available at this time.” The answer didn’t sit well with Katooni, but there was little else she could glean from T7.  
“Thanks, T7.” The droid began walking away. Katooni watched for a few moments, pondering what the special assignment could be before turning back towards the archive doors; her question that needed answering had now changed,, and the archives, as complete as Master Nu claimed they were, would not hold the answer. Maybe, she thought to herself, one of her friends would know the answer. Petro had a gift for picking up rumors, but he also had a knack for getting on her nerves, although in this case her curiosity was greater than the annoyance he would cause. She turned and sprinted back down the hall past T7, who gave her a confused look as she passed by.  
Most of the masters were out on assignment. Master Yoda was headed to Kashyyyk, where her friend Gungi was from. Maybe he’d know something, she thought as she made her way down the east wing hallway and up the massive staircase, and that way she wouldn’t have to deal with Petro’s know-it-all attitude. His room wasn’t far from the archives, and he always knew what to say, or in Gungi’s case growl, to make her feel better. In a few minutes she had made her way to the north-east living quarters, and to Gungi’s room.  
“Gungi!” she shouted, knocking rapidly at the door. No answer. She sighed and turned to leave when she let out a shout.  
“Petro! You can’t sneak up on me like that!” Petro was standing with a grin on his face, proud that he’d been able to get the jump on one of the more accomplished trainees in his class. Katooni gave him a quick punch in the arm.  
He brushed it off and asked “Are you looking for Gungi? He’s up in the gate walkway. Said something about feeling uneasy and needing some air.” Katooni frowned; she knew that feeling well, but lately there was something different about it. She caught a glimpse of Petro’s face, carrying the same worried expression just for a moment, before breaking out into a wide grin again.  
“Come on! Let’s go hang out with him!” He looked eager to get moving, as he always did. The pair walked in silence for a few moments as they headed back to the staircase.  
“What were you doing looking for Gungi?” Petro asked.  
“Well I was going to the archives and --”  
“The archives?” Katooni stopped to glare at the boy, sensing the condescending tone in his voice. “Only you’d be wanting to do some research this late at night!” Katooni started to protest but Petro was already on his way down the hallway. She sighed once more and followed suit, trailing just behind her friend. He was humming a cheerful tune which bounced off of the cold stone walls.  
“Did you hear,” Petro began, “that Master Obi-Wan is on a special mission to capture General Grievous?”  
“That robot that caused so much trouble with those pirates?” she asked, a worried expression coming over her face. Florrum was one of the few planets she knew she didn’t want to return to, at least not without a good reason.  
“Yeah. He’s hiding out on the outer rim somewhere. Some planet I’d never heard of.” Unlike Katooni, Petro seemed to not really care about places he’d never been to.  
“Do you think Master Obi-Wan will defeat Grievous this time?” Katooni asked.  
“I hope so! I overheard Master Windu saying it’ll end the war, and then maybe I can finally become Master Obi-Wan’s padawan!” Petro punched the air defiantly. Katooni rolled her eyes. For the past few years, Petro had been so eager to learn from the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi, and possibly, one day, challenge him to a duel. Of course, Katooni thought, Obi-Wan could easily defeat Petro a thousand times over, and realistically it would be old age that defeated Master Obi-Wan long before Petro. Still, she admired his tenacity.  
“Who do you want to get assigned to?” Petro’s question brought Katooni back from her thoughts. It was a question she’d considered many times, and, at one point in time she would’ve answered Ahsoka, although that opportunity had passed.  
“Maybe Master Skywalker?” The answer took Petro by surprise.  
“Master Skywalker?” Petro chuckled to himself. “I didn’t expect that at all! Why Master Skywalker?”  
Katooni thought for a moment. Truthfully, she admired Anakin’s spontaneity, bravery, and confidence, all things she thought she lacked, but there was no way she’d reveal this to Petro. As the two began to ascend the staircase up to the walkway, she came up with an answer that would satisfy Petro’s curiosity without giving away her true thoughts.  
“He’s a powerful Jedi.” She paused. “And Ahsoka always said he was a great teacher, even if the council didn’t think so.” As the words rolled off her tongue she felt a strange uneasiness.  
“Makes sense, I guess,” Petro replied. They rounded the top of the staircase. “Hey, there’s Gungi! Hey Gungi!”  
The wookie was staring out through the archway, ignoring his friends who were running over to join him. Instead, he was focused on the odd sight that was just coming into view for Petro and Katooni. At least a thousand clones were marching towards the temple, blasters at the ready, and at the very front, the three could make out a hooded figure with a blue lightsaber and dark robes. The sinking feeling Katooni had felt for the past days returned, this time stronger than ever. Gungi let out a low growl. Katooni responded, still fixated on the army marching towards them,  
“No Gungi, that’s not good at all.”

* * *

Hondo Ohnaka leaned back in his chair, feet kicked up on the cool stone table in front of him. The sun had long set over the cliffs of Florrum, but work for Hondo and his men had just begun. Chahirs was knelt down, picking up shiny bits of metal from the piles being formed as each new box was brought into the room and dumped out. He rose up to examine the latest addition to the collection: a large, black metal box emblazoned in brilliant white with the Galactic Roundel.  
“Goz, come ‘ere and get this thing open,” Chahirs barked at the young Weequay standing nervously in the corner. Goz shuffled over, fire torch in hand, and started in on the large iron bars blocking the door of the crate. Hondo watched curiously as the heat turned the imposing seal into an unrecognizable mess of melted white and black goo. As Goz cut through the last bar, Chahirs shoved him out of the way, ripping open the doors to the storage crate.  
Inside the container were various stacked boxes, which Chahirs quickly found to contain standard issue clone blaster rifles. Hondo watched, losing interest as Chahirs worked his way down from the top of the crate to the bottom, opening each box and tossing it to the side. About midway through, however, Chahirs pulled out a different box. This one was slim and as long as Hondo was tall, not wide enough to contain a normal blaster or even a specialized rifle. Chahirs lifted it with ease and stood it on its end, examining it carefully as he did so. Goz peered over his shoulder, curious as to what the strange box could contain.  
“What is that?” Hondo asked, lowering his feet from his desk to the dusty floor and leaning forward slightly to get a better look. Chahirs brought the box over to Hondo’s desk and set it down gently.  
“No idea, but it sure ain’t no blaster.” Hondo cautiously flipped the latches and slowly opened the lid. A grin broke over his face.  
“Now this is quite curious,” Hondo said, reaching into the box and drawing out the spear from within. Perfectly level and flawless, the shiny silver spear managed to sparkle even in the dim moonlight coming through the tiny arched windows of the room. A silence fell over the pirates, and some exchanged confused looks with each other.  
“Well, what is it?” Goz asked. Chahirs shushed him.  
“What is it, boss?” Chahirs repeated.  
“This is beskar. The rarest metal in The Galaxy.” Hondo was closely inspecting the spear. He gave it a twirl, watching it cut through the air with grace and poise, producing a soft whisper as it did so.  
“So that belonged to the Mandos?” Chahirs asked, eyeing the spectacular weapon. Hondo ran his hands across the surface again, feeling it for any flaws. It contained none.  
“Why would the Republic have this,” he muttered to himself, eyes fixated on the impossibly sharp head of the spear. A few seconds passed before he acknowledged Chahirs’ question.  
“Yes, this should be in the possession of the Mandalorians.” Hondo paused. “But it would seem that they have either become a friend or a foe of the Republic. Neutrality never meant much to them anyways.”  
Hondo lifted the spear and pulled back his arm. In a swift motion, the spear flew out of his hand and over the pirates, causing several of them to duck down and cover their heads. The spear dug deep into the sandstone walls of the room, vibrating slightly and giving off an echo that caused more confused looks around the room. He walked slowly, smiling all the way over and dislodged the weapon. Still it stood just as sharp as ever.  
“Yes, yes,” Hondo muttered, walking back to his desk, spear in hand. “There is a slight problem though.” He stuck the spear into the floor. The room remained quiet, hooked on every word coming out of their leader’s mouth.  
“There are few in The Galaxy foolish enough to buy something like this, what with the Mandalorian extremists having laid claim to it.” He looked around the room, thinking of all the nefarious dealers he had come to know throughout his career. He turned to face one of the windows, gazing up at the stars and wondering which planet held the key to his pending treasure. “No, no, we will have to go to Coruscant to sell this.” Hondo turned his back to the group, staring out of the window and up at the stars far above the planet.  
“But sir, we’ve just robbed a Republic transport! They’ll be lookin’ all over for us!” Goz blurted out, drawing a nasty look from Chahirs.  
“Yes,” Hondo pondered, “we will have to take a small crew. Since you seem so eager, Goz, you’ll come.” He glanced at the motley crew in front of him. “And Chahirs, too. Prepare my cargo ship, we’ll leave as soon as I make contact with my buyer.” He shuffled through the crowd, spear in hand, heading out the door towards his private chambers.  
“C’mon you runt,” Chahirs muttered, giving Goz a quick push back towards the outside doorway. Within moments, Hondo returned, and within moments, the three had boarded Hondo’s Stellar Seller. The ship rose off of the dusty surface of Florrum towards the stars, and towards Coruscant.


	2. Escape Artists

“Up there! On the walkway!” Blaster bolts flew past the three younglings as they ducked down beneath the railing.  
“What is going on!?” Katooni shouted over the sound of hot plasma colliding with cold stone. Gungi let out a loud series of growls as more shots ripped through the ornately carved railings, slowly wearing away what little cover the younglings had.  
“He’s right, we’ve gotta get out of here somehow!” Petro moved into a crouched stance and waved for his friends to follow. Staying low, they made their way back to the staircase. Katooni could feel her heart beating and her head swirling. Surely that Jedi leading the clones couldn’t have been - her thoughts were suddenly interrupted.  
“Wait, clones are coming,” Petro whispered, “Get behind the pillars, there!”   
The three moved behind the nearby pillars, just as four clones ran by. Petro nodded to his companions and pointed towards the staircase. Katooni and Gungi nodded back; Petro took a deep breath and led the charge towards the stairs. Just as the three made it to the landing, Katooni reached out and grabbed Petro to stop him, almost pulling him to the ground in the process.  
“Clones,” she whispered, pointing down. She could feel their presence, and sure enough just a moment later she could hear their footsteps ascending the staircase towards them. Gungi softly growled a suggestion.  
“We can’t go up! There’s no way out from there!” Petro hissed back. The clones were getting closer, and Gungi was right, Katooni thought. Down would certainly lead to their deaths.  
“Come on!” Katooni took off, heading upwards, Gungi close in tow. Petro shook his head and followed his friends.  
Echos of shouts and screams followed them as they climbed higher and higher up the Temple’s north-east tower. The three had made it up several flights of stairs before coming to a stop, out of breath and frightened. Katooni took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to determine if they were safe for the moment. She quickly opened them back, a shocked look coming over her face. All she could feel was connection after connection being severed from the Force. She shuddered, trying to put the feeling out of her head.  
“We’re safe for now. No one is coming,” she finally said. Petro leaned up against the wall and let out an exasperated sigh. They had climbed almost to the roof access at this point, but there was nothing on the roof that would save them. Petro knew this; shame washed over him. They could have fought, he thought to himself, but deep down he knew that the clones would overpower them. Even worse, he thought, he had never killed anyone before, and he wasn’t sure he had the strength to do it.  
“What is happening?” he asked, staring up at the ceiling. Gungi groaned back a reply. “I know the clones are attacking the temple,” he snapped back, glaring at Wookie before quickly donning an apologetic look.  
“There was a Jedi,” Katooni said, “leading the clones into the temple.” The image of the cloaked figure wielding a lightsaber the same color as hers was burned into her head. She felt offended by having any similarities with someone who would betray the Jedi order.  
“No way!” Petro looked shocked. “A Jedi would never do something like this! Come on Katooni be serious you -” Katooni cut him off.  
“I know what I saw. And I know what I feel, and I know you and Gungi can feel it too. Something terrible is happening.” Gungi and Petro exchanged worried looks. Gungi let out another growl, longer and filled with sadness.  
“Yeah, me too pal,” Petro paused, I’m sorry Katooni.” He looked sheepishly at his friend, trying to read her face for any sign of forgiveness, but her eyes were closed once more.  
“It’s okay,” she said, opening her eyes once again. “We’ve gotta move though. More clones are coming.” As the words left her mouth, distant footsteps began to echo up the stairwell.   
“They must be doing a sweep of all the floors.” Gungi growled, nodding towards the ventilation system entrance a few feet away from the trio.  
“Good idea. Help me move this.” Gungi and Petro raised their arms out and shut their eyes. The cover began to wiggle as the two channeled the Force through themselves and into the screws that held it in place. The steps were growing louder; the clones were efficient.  
“Hurry up!” Katooni hissed, “I can see shadows at the other end of the hallway.” The cover snapped off and Gungi slid inside, followed by Katooni shortly after. It was tight fit, but there was enough room to move forward.  
“We found more Jedi, sir!” The voice of the clone echoed down the hallway and into the vent. Katooni heard the familiar buzz of a saber starting up, and then the less familiar sound of blasters cocking. She tried to turn around but the vent was too tight. She could just make out Petro’s feet, in a fighting stance.  
“Blast him!” Blots fired down the hallway at Petro who skillfully deflected them away.  
“Go,” He whispered back towards the vent. Katooni hesitated before repeating the request to Gungi. He let out a soft growl of protest and reluctantly began to move. As the pair moved forward, they could hear running coming from the other side of the hallway. More clones had arrived, flanking Petro on both sides. Bolt after bolt whizzed down the hallway towards the youngling, each being deflected into the ceiling, walls, or floor, but the young Jedi-to-be was getting tired. Katooni could feel his resolve slipping away as they made their way deeper into the ventilation system, away from the noise.   
She had hoped she could get far enough away from fighting to avoid hearing the inevitable end to the battle, but deep down she knew it wouldn’t matter how far away she got. She’d feel it. Even if she was on the other side of The Galaxy, she’d feel it. The ripple in the Force shook her deep to her core, and even though the blaster fire was a distant echo, she knew the plasma projectiles had finally hit their mark. In her mind she could see the green glow of Petro’s saber fade and it fall from his hand. She felt the connection they shared severed, and with Petro’s final breath, she shed a silent tear which fell on the cold metal of the ventilation shaft just as Petro had fallen to the cold stone floor of the temple hallway.  


* * *

Hondo’s ship slowly descended down one of the large openings that dotted the surface of the industrial sections of Coruscant. The passages into the underworld of the city-planet were usually full of traffic, but on this day the amount of ships coming and going was particularly sparse. Hondo took note of the lack of travellers to this area of the city, but he brushed it off, turning his attention towards the mounds of garbage far off in the distance. The reddish hue spawned by the fires of the incineration towers, combined with the hazy orange sunlight peeking over the horizon reminded him of Florrum.  
The small freighter maneuvered its way down towards a loading platform labeled SJ-23. With a loud thud, the Stellar Seller landed and the door opened. The three Weequay made their way off the platform into the adjacent hangar, Hondo at the lead, taking in all the various ships parked and secured within, and Goz trailing behind, carrying the sleek black case containing the beskar spear.  
From behind a tall stack of wooden boxes an old Ithorian woman hobbled out to meet the group. She was hunched over, depending on a very worn, gnarled wooden cane for support. The pirate leader grinned from cheek to cheek as she slowly approached.  
“Twy, my old friend!” He greeted her, arms outstretched. She stuck her cane out to prevent him coming closer, rolling her eyes at Hondo’s enthusiastic greeting.  
“Ohnaka,” she began, eyes narrowing as she took in the pirate, “you have been causing quite the commotion among the Republic authorities lately.” Her voice was weathered and rough, and her eyes narrowed at Hondo, emphasizing the abundance of wrinkles that had set into her T shaped head over the years.  
“They are easy targets these days, if you know where to look.” The two looked each other over for a moment before breaking out in laughter. Goz and Chahirs exchanged confused looks, unsure of Twy’s sincerity.  
“I take it you know why I am here, then?” Hondo inquired of the frail looking creature before him.  
“Yes, yes.” The smile changed to a concentrated frown. “An object of pure beskar. Something stolen from Mandalore, no doubt? They’re not as forgiving and forgetful as the Republic, you know.” She shook her cane at the three as the last words exited her mouth.  
“Ha! No, I am not foolish enough to try and steal from Mandalorians.” He paused for a moment, considering how much information he ought to reveal to his friend. He laughed as he turned around and snatched the case from Goz’s hands. “A spear, of pure beskar. And you are the best fencer in The Galaxy!”  
“You mean I’m the only creature in The Galaxy willing to fence beskar.” Twy tucked her cane into a belt loop and took the case from Hondo, setting it down on a stack of small boxes next to her. She inspected it closely, Hondo and the other pirates leaning in, hoping to glean some of Twy’s skills from observing her.  
“Yes, this is most certainly from Mandalore. See here, the Mandalorian crest is etched on the clasps.” Hondo leaned in closely, lowering his glasses down. Sure enough, there was a delicately carved Mandalorian insignia, horns and all, glaring back at him. His spine tingled slightly, as if warning him that the artistic beast would jump out and attack him at any moment.  
The sound of metal hitting the ground across the hangar startled the group. Hondo’s hand instinctively moved to his blaster as he whipped around. The hangar appeared empty as he scanned it from left to right. Still cautions, he motioned to Chahirs to go investigate the noise.  
“Surely you did not sell me out?” He asked Twy, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. For what felt like an eternity there was only silence as Twy, Hondo, and Goz watched Chahirs slowly walk through the maze of boxes, blaster at the ready, whipping around corners. With each one, he turned the corner, ready to fire, but found no such reason to do so. Finally, Chahirs disappeared behind the furthest tower of crates, near the doorway the pirates had entered moments ago.  
“Nothing here, boss.” Just as he moved back into view, three wires shot out from the spot where he had just been, wrapping around Chahirs’ neck and pulling him back. Hondo raised his blaster as Chahirs’ screams slowly faded into silence. They were all fixed on the spot into which he had disappeared, and they failed to notice the dozen or so Mandalorians emerge behind them, weapons drawn.  
“You have something that belongs to me.” The three whipped around in surprise. The voice was a man’s and sounded almost metallic in nature. He motioned to one of the other Mandalorians to retrieve the case and nodded upwards at Hondo and Goz. They raised their hands up in surrender.  
“Now now,” Hondo began, “I’m sure we can come to some sort of agreement that -” He was interrupted by the barrel of a blaster pushing into his back. More Mandalorians had emerged where the pirate’s had just been looking.  
“Do not speak, unless spoken to.” a woman’s voice hissed from behind him. The Mandalorian leader stared at the case for a moment before reaching down to flip up the latches.  
“Tell me, pirate, how did you come across this artifact.” The leader had removed the spear from its casing and was gently admiring it. Hondo weighed his choices in his head. The woman nudged him with the blaster again, clearly impatient.  
“It was a… gift. From the Republic.” The man turned the spear and slammed the end into the ground. The echo bounced around the hangar, causing all to fall silent.  
“The Republic does not give anything.” It was the first time in their conversation that any emotion had come through in the man’s voice. Even through the opaque visor in the helmet, Hondo could feel the man’s stare, full of anger at the very mention of the Republic. “They only take,” he finished, turning away. “I have heard enough. Execute them.”  
The remaining Mandalorians raised their blasters and cocked them.  
“Now, Hondo!” Twy shouted, unsheathing a thin metal sword from her cane. With a single turn from Twy, the Mandalorian woman behind Hondo fell with a thunk, now headless. Goz took cover behind a steel crate while Hondo and Twy ran further down the hangar, ducking as blaster bolts flew over their heads. The two took cover behind a large steel beam.  
“This is more what I was expecting you’d bring, Hondo.” Twy smiled at the pirate, sheathing her sword.  
“We all have our secrets.” He peeked around the corner and fired a few shots at the approaching Mandalorians. Goz quickly dodged between crates, making his way towards the back where Hondo and Twy were taking cover.  
“Officers will be here soon,” Twy began, “we must get out of here. She nodded towards a pair of doors to their right.  
“There’s not much cover between us and those doors.” Hondo fired a few more shots towards the advancing party. One shot managed to connect with the shoulder of a Mandalorian, knocking him down. The others ignored this and continued their advance, steady and focused on their targets. Goz had finally made it to a small fighter ship to Hondo and Twy’s right. He made eye contact with Hondo and then held up two small orbs that were emitting a faint red glow. Hondo grinned and pointed to two spots, one between himself and Goz, and one between himself and the door.  
Goz pressed in on the tops of each grenade and hurled them towards the locations Hondo had suggested. In a flash, the area of the hangar filled up with smoke, and the three began their mad dash towards the doors; despite her old age, Twy was able to keep up with the much younger Weequay. Blaster bolts flew aimlessly through the haze, illuminating the surrounding smoke briefly in red before colliding with the wall behind the group. Hondo rushed into the door shoulder first, causing it to give way almost immediately. The three tumbled out onto the pavement, gathered themselves hastily, and sprinted off into the darkness of the Coruscant underworld.  


* * *

The two younglings had crawled for what felt like an eternity to Katooni. Silence had pervaded the ventilation shaft save the occasional fan or gust of air. They had been heading downwards whenever possible, and Katooni had not thought to question where Gungi was leading them until this moment. The shaft gave way to a slightly larger area where several vents converged.  
‘Wait, Gungi, I just...” Katooni’s voice trailed off for a moment. “I just need to stop. For a second, okay?”  
Gungi growled softly and crawled over to one of the corners of the small ventilation shaft room. He turned to face Katooni but was met with silence. Cool air blew through the shaft causing Katooni to shiver; Gungi looked her over, wishing he could share some of his fur with his friend. A few moments passed before either began to speak.  
“Where are we going to go?” Gungi let out another soft growl.  
“We can’t just stay in the vents. Besides we’ve probably set off tons of security sensors. They know we’re in here.” Gungi growled a few times and finished with an Urrg-like noise.  
“Yes Gungi!” Katooni’s eyes lit up at the Wookie’s suggestion. “That could work! But where are we in the temple right now?” Gungi pondered the question for a moment. He let out an inquisitive growl. Katooni closed her eyes and focused intensely.  
The Force was cloudy to her, filled with confusion, anger, and sadness. She tried to sift through and filter it out; slowly the temple came into view. It was hard to make out, but she could see lifeforms. Most were clones, patrolling the hallways and checking rooms over for survivors. Her vision turned towards the second floor. Twenty or so clones were walking around the balcony overlooking the main entryway. She could see hazy figures scattered around the floor. Faces of Jedi she had never known flashed before her, and the vision clouded up again.  
I must focus, she thought to herself. The vision returned to the second floor, this time to a hallway coming off of the east side of the balcony, an area near the cafeteria. Further down the hallway she could see it: the door to hangar bay 2E. Finally, a vent came into view. Her eyes snapped open.  
“This way,” she said to Gungi, pointing towards the shaft to their right. The two began crawling, inspired with new hope. After several twists and turns, Katooni stopped at the cover she had seen in her vision.  
“It’s just out here and down the hallway.” With a concentrated push, the vent cover shot off and fell to the floor below with a loud crash. Gungi let out a worried growl.  
“Well I guess we’re moving now.” Katooni hopped down out of the vent, quickly followed by Gungi. They took off down the hallway towards the hangar bay; behind them, they could hear the sound of clones, drawn to the vent’s loud crash.  
The door to the hangar bay was sealed shut, and, as they were younglings, neither Katooni nor Gungi had the ability to open it. With a growl, Gungi ignited his lightsaber and began cutting a hole through the door. It would take a few moments, moments Katooni was worried the pair would not have. The clones were drawing closer now, having realized that the proximity to the hangar bay meant that there were Jedi attempting to escape via ships. Katooni drew her lightsaber.  
Gungi was about three quarters of the way through cutting a hole in the door when the first four clones rounded the corner. They wasted no time firing upon the two younglings, approaching slowly as Katooni deflected each bolt that came near them. She didn’t want to hurt the clones, she thought to herself, but clearly they had no problems killing her or her friends. Another bolt made contact with her saber, but instead of deflecting into the wall or ceiling, this one returned to its sender. The clone dropped to the floor, just as Gungi kicked the hole open in the door.  
“I need backup, west hangar bay 2E!” one of the clones shouted into his transponder. Katooni took one last look at her first casualty before ducking into the hole, and force-pulling crates down to block it. Gungi let out a fierce growl.  
“Those clones won’t have clearance to open the door either.” Her voice trailed off for a moment, “but one who does will be here soon, I’m sure.” They exchanged worried looks as the sound of banging on the hangar door echoed throughout the room.  
There was only one ship in the bay, a small Jedi starfighter. Next to it stood an R4 unit, painted green and currently deactivated. The banging on the door was getting louder; more clones had arrived. The pair worked to get the starfighter opened.  
“Do you know how to fly this thing?” Katooni asked Gungi. It hadn’t occurred to her that at this point in her training, she’d never flown in a real ship, much less a Jedi starfighter. Gungi thought a moment before letting out a disheartened series of grunts.  
“‘Maybe’ won’t get us off this planet,” Katooni snapped back. The door to the pod hissed open, and Katooni climbed in. Gungi growled and kicked the astromech. It sprang to life, beeping as it quickly wheeled around the starfighter.  
“Come on Gungi, we have to -” The hangar door hissed open, drawing the younglings’ attention. Two clones hopped over the boxes and aimed their weapons, one firing towards Gungi and the other at Katooni. Gungi ignited his lightsaber again, but he was too far to block the bolt that made contact with Katooni. It pierced her shoulder and burned a small hole into the seat behind her. Gungi let out a fierce growl and somersaulted over to the front of the pod. The astromech droid sprang into the air and landed in the pod which now contained an unconscious Katooni.  
“Don’t let that ship escape!” Two more clones entered the room and began to fire at the starfighter; its exterior took little damage from the clones’ weapons. Gungi let out another exasperated yell, this time directed towards the astromech. It propelled itself upwards and into a circular slot on top of the pod. The ship sealed shut with a hiss and began to hover off the ground. A fifth clone, this one in blue striped armor, entered the room and took aim at the R4 unit sticking out of the top of the ship. The starfighter directed itself towards the exit of the hangar, and began to propel forward. The blue clone fired a shot, glancing the astromech just as the ship accelerated out into the sky.  
Now all five clones had their attention focused on Gungi. They pressed forward, pushing the young wookie backwards, closer and closer to the edge of the platform. He continued to deflect their bolts as he looked behind him. The starfighter was just a small dot in the sky now, and no other ships seemed to be giving chase. A renewed sense of importance came over him, but it was quickly replaced with the realization that he was quickly running out of platform. The wind was whipping his fur, and he knew at this moment there was only one choice left. With one last triumphant yell, he turned and lept off the edge of the hangar bay and towards the courtyard that lay at least eight stories below. The clones ran over to the edge and looked out, but the wookie was nowhere to be found.  
“No one could have survived that fall.” The two clones turned back. The blue clone tapped his comlink again.  
“We have an escaped youngling, in a Jedi starfighter,” he spoke into the communicator. He turned back to the four other clones in the hangar. They stood at attention. “Get to your ships, and find that kid.”  
“Sir yes sir!” The four ran back out of the room and down the hallway. The blue clone walked back over to the balcony, removing his helmet. The wind whipped across his face, drying the sweat. He looked down; there was indeed no sign of the wookie, no blood where he would have hit the pavement below, and no body at all.  
“Come on, Faults,” he whispered to himself. “A youngling couldn’t have survived something like that. Not even a Jedi could.”  



	3. Rescue

“I never took you for a quitter,” Twy said mockingly towards the out of breath Hondo Ohnaka. He gave her a dismissive wave, doubled over and laughing slightly between deep breaths. The alleyway the group had come to rest in was dimly lit and out of the way, and the thick stench of garbage permeated the surrounding air. A few side doors to the surrounding buildings had flickering lights above them, but were closed, blending in to the barren walls that held them. A few meters away was the street, which was bustling as usual with all sorts of creatures going about their often-shady business in the underworld of Coruscant.  
The Mandalorians were nowhere to be found, but still Hondo had sent Goz to scout out the area and figure out just where they had ended up. The group had sped through backroads and alleyways for a good thirty minutes, hoping to throw any pursuing parties off their trail, and in the process had become lost themselves.  
“I am a man who knows how to cut my losses.” Hondo stood up and leaned his back against the cold grey concrete slab of the building. “It is a gift that has kept me alive more times than I can count.”  
Twy looked him over and brushed off her cane.  
“That was quite a loss though, Hondo.”  
Indeed, Hondo thought to himself, the spear would have been worth an incredible amount, even with Twy’s commission taken out. As he mulled over the idea of returning back to the hangar and taking back the spear, he heard footsteps rushing down the alleyway towards them. Hondo quickly drew his blaster, but lowered it upon seeing that it was Goz.  
“Well, what is our situation?” Hondo asked. Goz was wheezing, but he managed to hold out his hand, revealing a small circular hologram transmitter. Twy and Hondo looked it over curiously, as Goz pressed in on a small button on the side. A figure appeared on the hologram, disfigured but cloaked. Hands were outstretched as he addressed an unseen audience.  
“The Republic,” the figure began, voice echoing around the alleyway “will be reorganized into the First Galactic Empire!” Faint applause accompanied the words. Goz looked up at his boss who, for the first time Goz could recall, looked worried.  
“The clone wars are over, boss,” Goz said, “That big four armed general that attacked our home was killed.” He paused, trying to gauge Hondo’s reaction. “At least, that’s what the guy I took this from was saying.”  
“This is interesting news,” Twy said. There was a hint of caution in her voice. “There may be a lot of… new opportunities.” Her lips twisted into a wicked smile, causing Goz to grimace slightly.  
“Hmm,” Hondo pondered, rubbing his chin, “We cannot worry about this now. We need a ship.” He turned to Goz. “Where on this horrible planet have we ended up?”  
“Sector 7U-M. Near the trash collection, boss.”  
“That explains the smell,” Hondo replied.  
“There will be ships we can take in the trash district,” Twy suggested. “Surely ones with hyperdrives. Most of the trash from Coruscant eventually ends up on Lotho Minor.”  
“I knew I kept you around for a reason,” Hondo said, grinning at Twy. He holstered his blaster. “We should be discreet. Any attention is bad attention down here.”  
The group exited the alleyway. Creatures of all species, shapes, and sizes were moving all around; shops to the left and right selling everything from food to weapons provided light to the street with their bright lights. Goz had only seen the red cliffs of Florrum and the tan dunes of Tatooine in his short tenure as a pirate, but the world around him was foreign but exciting.  
Above his head, speeders of all make and model flew through the air lanes, guided by lights on the buildings towering over them; above that, there were no stars, just darkness. He hardly noticed Hondo and Twy disappearing into the crowd without him. A bark of his name from Hondo drew him back to the street and out of the artificial sky, and he rushed to catch back up with them.  
As the trio rounded the corner, Goz realized that they had only been on a side street. The main drag extended to his left and right as far as the eye could see. Far off in the distance, to their left, they could see a faint orange glow, not of the sun, but of the fires from the trash incinerators. Hondo had taken just two steps forward when three notes rang out loudly across the main street. All the creatures stopped to look up at the now-illuminated billboard. The Galactic Roundel flashed brilliantly white on the light blue screen before fading away to the face of the man from the hologram.  
“The new Galactic Empire has put an end to the Separatist movement, and the leaders of the rebellion have reached an agreement. It is my pleasure to announce that the Clone Wars have come to an end!” The announcement was met with cheers, both echoed from the senate chamber and from the street on which Hondo, Twy, and Goz stood.  
“As for the Jedi rebellion,” the hooded man continued as the applause died down, “I have received word that our clone forces have captured and eliminated almost all of the fugitives.” The applause from the senate was discernibly less enthusiastic this time, but many on the street shouted cheers in agreement.  
“Who is that, boss?” Goz inquired.  
“The supreme chancellor, Palpatine,” Twy answered. “He has led the Republic throughout the duration of the Clone Wars, and for many years before that.” Her voice was shaky, and her words struck a nerve in Goz. The Republic, he thought, had been the cause of so many troubles for Hondo’s crew. He looked back up at the screen, less in amazement and more in anger.  
“This can’t be right,” Hondo thought aloud. “The Jedi would never turn on the Republic.”  
“It seems that they have,” Twy replied. She looked around carefully at the crowd, most of whom were still fixated on the hologram. “We should be going now.”  
The three continued down the main street towards the incinerators. As the chancellor’s voice slowly faded away, the three were met with nothing more than their thoughts, each in their own world, turning over the events that they had just been informed of.  
  


* * *

  
A thud shook Katooni awake. In a haze, she looked around, evaluating her surroundings. The starfighter pod looked to be mostly undamaged. A sudden pain ripped through her shoulder. The blaster bolt had grazed her, burning away the material of her robe in the immediate area of impact and leaving a partial cylinder of cauterized flesh behind. The rows of buttons in front of her blinked rapidly, desperately trying to communicate something that Katooni could not understand. She let out a sigh before reaching out to the lever that she knew controlled the door.  
With a quick tug, the clear door of the pod opened, and the foul stench of garbage immediately greeted her. She stood up out of the pilots chair and slowly made her way onto the pile of scrap metal on which the starfighter had come to rest. Heaps of metal and trash formed dunes all around her; in the distance, abandoned factories rose up to greet the horizon of the planet. But which planet is this, she thought to herself. She turned around to inspect the starfighter. The wings were mangled, and the R4 unit, while still lodged in it’s slot, was completely inactive. A blaster bolt had gone through its head, rendering it as useless as the surrounding scrap.  
With a deep breath, Katooni closed her eyes, in an attempt to reach out through the Force to anyone who would listen. Her vision was met with a fog, and no matter how hard she concentrated, she could not sense anything. With a sigh, she reopened her eyes. A towering metal building, adorned with broken glass and worn metal, seemed as good a destination as any for her, she decided, and she began her cautious trek towards it. Up and down over piles of trash and metal she climbed, taking care not to injure her shoulder anymore than it already was.  
As she drew closer to the tower, she could hear the sound of machines pounding away. Two funny looking droids with small, black round bodies and skinny arms hovered past her, in the direction of her starship. They seemed to take no notice of her, but she resigned herself to climb back up the last mound and see where they were headed. By the time she had regained the high ground, the two droids had already arrived at the downed ship and were scanning it. She watched as one of the droids turned back and headed towards her, this time with a different purpose, she felt.  
As it drew closer, the small arms retracted into the spherical body, and a small tube popped out the front.  
“Identify yourself.” The droid’s metallic voice took Katooni by surprise. Her hand on her uninjured arm moved towards her belt, where her lightsaber hung.  
“I am just a... traveler,” she responded, awaiting the droid’s next action.  
“You should not be here.” The droid paused for a moment before shining a blue light over her quickly. “The authorities will arrive momentarily. Do not m-” With a quick flash of Katooni’s lightsaber, the once whole sphere fell in two parts, joining the scrap metal below her feet. Her heart began racing. Whatever that droid had done, she thought, surely it wouldn’t be long before clones arrived to finish her off. There was little chance she would survive this time; Gungi wasn’t here, Petro was gone, she was injured, and the Force was being uncooperative.  
The second droid began approaching her position with a much greater speed than the first. The arms had also been withdrawn, but this time two tubes with small holes cut into them emerged. Two bolts whizzed past her. Katooni drew her lightsaber and began to deflect the bolts back, this time aiming to destroy the droid. In an instant, the bolt had connected with the droid as it dropped out of the air and whizzed to her feet. Katooni turned back towards the tower and began to run as quickly as her injury would allow her..  
She arrived at the base of the tower out of breath and sweating. A large concrete platform with a painted yellow and black line running through the center was in front of her. The spot was devoid of trash. As she caught her breath, two quickly moving objects appeared on the horizon. Within seconds she could make out the shapes: Republic gunships. Fear shot through her body. This is it, she thought. She would die here, in the wastes of some unknown place, never to be remembered. Her eyes closed once more as she silently pleaded with the Force to do something, anything, to get her away from the threat on the horizon.  
As the ships drew closer, a loud horn began blaring from the tower next to her. The ground started shaking, and the concrete platform began opening along the painted line. The hole grew wider and wider, and she could see a blocky, orange ship rising from the depths within. It rose up, the windows of the cockpit facing towards her, framing a face she thought she’d never see again.  
  


* * *

  
As their stolen ship rose up the chute towards the surface, Hondo and Goz were messing with the controls and preparing the hyperdrive for a speedy jump off of the Coruscant. He looked up for a moment as the ship breached the surface, and saw a young child standing at the edge of the hole. He squinted his eyes in a confused look, but as the ship rotated around to face the other direction, a much more urgent matter took over the view. Two Republic gunships were almost upon them.  
“Clones!” Goz shouted out. Twy swiveled around in her chair and slammed a button on the dashboard. The auxiliary guns on either side of the ship swiveled around and took aim at the approaching gunships. Hondo lept to the controls and began opening fire on the gunships.  
“How did they know we were here?!” Hondo shouted out. The freighter’s ascent stopped as he focused on taking down the gunships. One shot connected, downing the leftmost ship but not destroying it. It would only be moments before the clones on that transport made their way over to them.  
On the ground, Katooni was now faced with the back of the ship that had just risen out of the hole. She could see a metal bar on the side of the engine, beckoning her to grab on. Sheathing her lightsaber, she gave a concentrated leap and grabbed on with her functioning hand. With great effort she climbed up on top of the bar; a calculated jump landed her on to the top of the ship. She could see one gunship, almost upon them, firing green bolts in her direction. The ship beneath her shifted to the side, causing Katooni to almost lose her balance. She hopped along the top of the freighter towards the front where she thought she had seen Hondo’s face.  
The windows of the cockpit curved up over the top slightly. Katooni knelt down and slammed her fist against the enclosure. Goz looked up at the noise.  
“Hondo! There’s someone on the ship!”  
Hondo glanced up expecting clones, but was shocked to see the young Jedi slamming her fist against the glass and shouting loudly. He reached over and pressed a small yellow button on the dashboard.  
“What are you doing?” Twy hissed at him. “We must go now!”  
Clones from the downed ship had begun to make their way over the trash dunes and were taking aim at the ship.  
“I hope she is onboard,” Hondo said, looking up at the spot where Katooni had just been. He pressed the yellow button again. The ramp of the ship closed with a crash, and they began to ascend, chased by the remaining gunship. The freighter gained speed, evading shot after shot from the Republic ship, climbing higher and higher above Coruscant. In a moment they had left the atmosphere, and Hondo pulled back the lever to his right. The stars turned to the familiar streaks and the ship disappeared into hyperspace.  
  


* * *

  
Hondo let out a laugh which was quickly silenced by a whack from Twy’s cane.  
“Who was that that you let on board? We could have been killed! We still may be killed!” She was frantically swinging her cane wildly as Hondo moved to avoid another painful sting.  
He turned and rushed down the main corridor to the back of the ship where the entrance ramp was. Sure enough, Katooni was on the ground, unconscious, but alive. Goz was shortly behind, followed by Twy.  
“A Jedi? You fool! The entire Republic will be -” she began, but Hondo cut her off, raising a finger up to her mouth.  
“Not just any Jedi. A youngling. I know this one.” His voice was gentle. Hondo knelt down and picked up the child, carrying her back down the corridor to a small room with a bed. He placed Katooni on the bed and covered her with a thin sheet.  
“Goz, watch this one. She’s clever, and I don’t think she likes me much.” Goz nervously nodded and took a seat on a bench across from the bed. He drew a pack of cards from his pocket and laid them out on the bedside table. Hondo and Twy made their way back to the cockpit in silence.  
“A Jedi child. I cannot believe you Hondo Ohnaka.” Twy hissed at the Weequay whose feet were now kicked up on the dashboard.  
“You know this old man has a weak spot for children,” he grinned, “but this one is worth saving. Besides, I owe her.”  
“You owe her? How could you owe a child anything?”  
“Eh, she helped me back when General Grievous invaded Florrum.” His voice trailed off as his thoughts turned to that time.  
“A child?” Twy gave a disbelieving look towards him. “I’ve heard stories of the feats of the Jedi, but this is hard for even me to believe.”  
“Well… it was more than just one child. It was actually five. And a Jedi padawan. A particularly bothersome one.” He trailed off, recalling the events that had led him to meet the youngling for the first time.  
“That sounds more plausible,” Twy replied, turning her focus back to the streaking stars visible from the viewport. The two sat in silence for a long while, each in their own heads, thinking of what would come next.  
Goz had long since turned his attention away from Katooni. He was several rounds of solitaire in when a rustle from the bed drew his attention. He spun around to his left. The bed was empty. A whooshing noise accompanied by a soft hum and a blue glow had him spinning back around; Katooni stood with her lightsaber extended over Goz, a glare in her eyes.  
“You’re not Hondo,” she said. Goz stuck his hands in the air.  
“N- No,” he stuttered out, eyes fixed on the blue beam only inches from his face. “He - He’s flying. Front of the ship!” Katooni inched forward, bringing the lightsaber closer to the terrified pirate.  
“Up, now!” Goz stood up, backing quickly away towards the door. “You will take me to him, now.” She held out her free hand with a grimace and Force pulled the blaster on Goz’s belt into her hand.  
The two made their way to the control room, Katooni holding a blaster in one hand and a lightsaber in the other, and Goz, hands still raised, shakily leading the way.  
“Knock,” she barked as they approached the door. He gave it three quick pounds.  
“Uh, boss,” he began, “the Jedi is awake.”  
The door slid open and Goz stepped off to the side. Katooni aimed the blaster towards Hondo, who was now standing in the doorway. He beamed down at the small Jedi and crossed his arms. Katooni did not return the look. Twy was standing a safe distance behind Hondo, peering over his shoulder.  
“So I see you’ve met Goz.” Hondo notioned towards the cowering pirate. “Not too brave, but we’ll make a fighter out of him yet.”  
“I don’t care,” Katooni replied sharply. “This is my ship now. You are just a pilot.”  
Hondo chuckled at the thought. He put one hand in the air, and with the other, he unhooked his blaster, letting it fall to the floor. With a quick kick, he slid the weapon over to Katooni. Her eyes did not move from the pirate’s face, lit up in a deep blue by the extended lightsaber.  
“Come now, we aren’t going to fight. I would not have opened the hatch back on Coruscant if I didn’t want you alive.”  
Katooni pondered the thought for a second before withdrawing her lightsaber and placing it back on her belt. She looked back up at the pirate, trying to hold a resolute expression, but she couldn’t keep the ruse going. A tear ran down her face, and Hondo, for the first time in a while, felt compassion. He knelt down to meet her eye line. Twy hobbled closer towards the child, still staying far enough behind Hondo to feel safe.  
“You have been through a lot, young Jedi,” she said. Katooni responded with silence, only broken by a sniffle. Hondo rose back up.  
“She is right,” he began. You ought to rest.  
“Where is this ship going?” She asked.  
“As the captain, I thought you would know.” She smiled slightly at his reply. “I do not think you’ll like the answer,” Hondo said with a slight laugh.  
“Florrum,” Katooni sighed. It was the last place she’d want to be right now; or, maybe not the last place. Coruscant was probably the last place.  
“Come child,” Hondo said, turning back around and walking into the control room. “If this is now your ship, then you should learn how to properly fly it.”  
Hondo motioned to the chair that Twy had been sitting in, the co-pilot’s chair. He began pointing out different buttons and screens on the dashboard to Katooni, explaining what they did and why it would be unwise to hit certain ones at certain times. Twy watched for a moment before turning and leaving.  
“Come, Goz,” she said to the pirate, “we should let Hondo teach the child in peace. I assume you know how to play laro?”  
The two walked back to Katooni’s room. As the door to the control room closed, they could hear Hondo explaining the hyperdrive lever to the curious young Jedi, who, for the first time in a while, felt safe, and at peace.  



End file.
